Recreation and Leisure Studies (Aging, Health and Well-Being) - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion

Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion located on Waterloo's main campus

Focus on aging, health and well-being for your PhD in Recreation and Leisure Studies with this unique collaborative PhD program offered by the Faculty of Health.

Through an interdisciplinary approach, you’ll develop a broad understanding of issues related to the health and well-being of our aging population while advancing your knowledge in your designated field in recreation and leisure.

The first collaborative PhD program in Canada with a focus on aging, health and well-being, this program provides opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations, access to diverse course offerings and resources including dissertation committee members who can add unique perspectives in addressing emerging research problems. 

Be prepared with the training you need for a career as a scholar, researcher, or a policy analyst for government, private sector or university positions. 

Learn more about the Collaborative Aging, Health and Well-being program →

Research fields

  • Health information management
  • Illness and injury prevention
  • Dementia and dementia care
  • Social and environmental aspects of aging
  • Health services and continuum of care
  • Nutrition and healthy lifestyles
  • Vascular aging and cerebrovascular disease
  • Epidemiology and aging
  • Mobility and aging
  • Gender, sexuality, ethnicities and aging

Research project opportunities for this program

Risk, Injury, Sport, & Equity (RISE) Youth Sport Lab

Seeking motivated Master's and PhD students to join the Risk, Injury, Sport, & Equity (RISE) Youth Sport Lab. We study the ways in which athletes feel safe and included in sport, recreation, and leisure environments and how they experience injury and risk within these spaces. Ongoing funded projects explore sport-related concussion reporting for youth girls, safe sport practices in community sport organizations, stories of belonging for Black girls and women in hockey, and concussion communication and management efforts. Our work aims to foster athlete well-being, and emphasizes community-oriented partnerships that drive positive changes in youth sport experiences.

The REC: Radically Embodied Collective

Like mushrooms popping up in a field, this collective springs into action in response to widespread and ongoing anti-life doctrines that reverberate across the nation and globe (e.g., anti-trans legislation, rolling back queer and disability rights). The REC, directed by Dr. Aly Bailey in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo, is a collection of research, scholars, and activists centring bodymind differences by queering, cripping, and thickening leisure, fitness, and health. Bridging theory and practice, building bodymind coalitions (across fat, disabled, queer, racialized, Mad communities), and working with powerholders invested in access and inclusion, The REC demands for research and teaching that challenges power, subverts oppressive structures (e.g., ableism, racism, fat hatred, anti-queer, etc.), and celebrates embodied diversity. Graduate students at The REC engage deeply with theory, bring research to action, and strive for justice.

Program overview

Department/School: Recreation and Leisure Studies
Faculty: Faculty of Health
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Collaborative, Doctoral, Research
Length of program: 48 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis

Application deadlines

  •  February 1 (for admission in September)

Note: Applications submitted after this date will be considered on a rolling basis until all available spots are filled.

Key contacts

Ibelemari Okojie
iokio@uwaterloo.ca

Taylor Kurta

My time in the department of Recreation and Leisure Studies has been inspiring. I am constantly reaching outside of my comfort zone to explore new ways of knowing and understanding the world around me. I love how thinking outside-the-box is celebrated, not discouraged.

Taylor Kurta, Recreation and Leisure Studies, PhD

Supervisors

  • Review finding a supervisor resources to learn how to reach out to potential supervisors.
  • While it is not required to reach out to potential supervisors prior to applying, it is strongly recommended to ensure that the faculty member you are interested in working with is accepting new students and your research interests align.

Admission requirements

  • Normally a master's degree with a minimum 75% average in a field that is relevant to the area of aging, health and well-being (normally kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies or health studies and gerontology, but other degrees in life and social sciences could be suitable as well).

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume/Curriculum vitae
    • Indicating past academic and professional experience.
  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
  • Transcript(s)
  • Writing sample
    • Students must submit a copy of previous academic work, such as a term paper, published manuscript or master's thesis.
  • References
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees